Instead of calling for ordinary rice pilaf, this recipe pairs juicy pork chops and dried fruit with crunchy quinoa, a nutritional powerhouse that delivers both protein and carbs, as well as fiber, potassium and riboflavin.

Low in fat but high in protein, beans are one of Joe Bastianich's favorite ingredients. He uses white beans here, but he also loves making this recipe with chickpeas and flat gigante beans: "The bigger and creamier the beans, the better."

Joe Bastianich likes the way protein- and omega 3-rich salmon gives him lots of energy without weighing him down. Here, it's grilled until the skin is crisp. Green olives add more heart-healthy fat and a hit of cell-protecting vitamin E.

This salad is a well-rounded meal in itself, supplying a wealth of nutrients, including vitamins A and C. "I grew up in the French countryside," Laurent Gras says, "so vegetable-heavy dishes make me feel like I'm back home."

The night before a long bike ride, Laurent Gras carbo-loads by eating pasta tossed with a variety of vegetables for dinner; here, he combines green tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus and vitamin A-rich spinach. "You can eat a lot of it and still feel good about yourself. It doesn't make you tired like other, heavier pasta dishes can."

This dish offers a fitness-minded mix of lean chicken and calcium-packed watercress. Canadian bacon, with just a fraction of the calories and fat of bacon, gives the salad a slightly sweet and salty flavor.